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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Yes, I know… no sooner do I post a 5th
Anniversary Special, than do I seemingly vanish off the face of the Earth. No
new posts for over a month – missing both; Halloween and Thanksgiving.

But what if I tried to make up for it by presenting a blog
entry that is part “ghost story” as well as a testament of my deepest thanks? –
Both aspects given to me from Jack Kirby – 20 years apart.

This blog entry is a true life story about how I met Jack
Kirby, gave him a small gift, and how, over 20 years later, his “ghost” showed
up and returned the favor.

…

JACK “KING” KIRBY was not only one of the founders of the comic
book medium, but perhaps its greatest talent as well.

The worlds that burst like lightning out of his mind, the
fantastic imagery that exploded like a volcano from his hand, likened him to a
god; a true “CREATOR”.

But this tale is not one that focuses on the myth of the
man, nor on the legend that spawned such descriptors, but instead on a small personal
history... and a mystery, sparked by a moment or two in time – one forever in amber within my
memory – the other… captured forever on film.

Take a look at the photograph atop this post, of Jack Kirby
at his drawing table.

Do you see the drawing of Captain America atop the King’s board?

The one with which he is posed, pen in hand, as if upon
which he is putting some finishing touch?

That… is MY artwork.

Ah… I hope that got your attention.

Yes. That is MY drawing of Captain America, one that I gave
to the King, when I had the pleasure to meet him at a comic convention back in (late)
1990 (or early 1991).

Not only that, but if you look even closer, you’ll note that
the artwork is inside a black matt frame.

That is because when I frequented comic-cons during the late
1980’s and early 1990’s it was as a professional artist (having had some pro
work with a few indie publishers) and I would sell my work – some; original
art, drawn at request, and some; hand-colored photocopies of previously drawn
illustrations, framed in those mats. It was one such piece that I gave to Jack
Kirby.

I will provide PROOF of which here.

Here is a photograph of myself, taken expressly for this
post, with not only a similar, colored photocopy… not only one in the exact
same type of matt… but one that was taken from my flatfile archives, where it
was stored away after being colored, matted, signed & dated in 1990! In my
other hand is the ORIGINAL pencil artwork, drawn in 1989 (which shows what was
obscured by the mat: the Shield & Eagle atop the flagpole and the rest of
Cap’s left foot, as well as the remainder of the flag).

Just so you don’t think that I merely photoshopped my work
into the photo (or drew it after the fact), please note that I discovered the Kirby photo while watching a documentary, on Netflix, this month: “With Great Power; The Stan Lee Story”, which was produced in 2010.

Here’s the pertinent clip from the show that shows the image
shown in the photo atop this page:

Obviously, I could not have altered the image in an
already-filmed documentary, which anyone can now go and verify. The Kirby photo is near the end of this clip (but around the 20 minute mark in the full video).

Now allow me to turn the clock back, for a moment of
explanation as to the origins of how Jack Kirby came into possession of my
work, and then I’ll turn the clock forward again, to
early this month, when I discovered that the photograph of the King with my art
even existed…

While I have already written of my meeting with Jack Kirby,
back in an old post a few years ago [HERE], I’ll recap and continue the tale
now.

As some readers of this blog may know (as detailed in
several other old posts), I was a professional writer / artist for a few
independent comic companies in the late 1980’s – early 1990’s (1987 – 1991 to
be exact).

I had started out just as a guy with a rented table in the
dealer’s room, who would either draw your custom art on the spot, or sell
pre-drawn samples and even hand-colored photocopies of my work.

It was in that manner that I was “discovered” by some
publishers and garnered assignments for published work. With actual published
credentials, I then graduated to a free table in “artist’s alley”, the
professional’s room.

Still, I was a young and inexperienced 20-something year-old
“kid”, and every once in a while, a “real” pro artist would walk over to (or
past) my table and we would get to talk about the industry.

At one weekend show in New York City, I met Jack Kirby. (I
also met Stan Lee at the same show, but I've already told that tale [linked to HERE]). Jack was
walking through the “artist’s alley” room, with his wife, Roz. I saw him, and
immediately felt that I should say something… DO something… to express my
gratitude for his immeasurable contribution to the field.

Suddenly, I KNEW what I could do. Like the tale of the
“Little Drummer Boy”, I had a gift for the King, and while it wasn’t much, it
was all that I had.

I looked at my artworks which surrounded and covered my
table, and thought that, most of those characters were co-created by Stan Lee,
and would not make an appropriate gift, as they might instead serve to rekindle
the heated feelings that Jack Kirby may have had towards Lee and Marvel. No.
Instead I would make a gift to him of the one character thereupon that was his
– with no ties to Stan Lee…

Captain America.

I quickly
grabbed a hand-colored copy of a drawing of Captain America that I had done,
and vaulted over my table to go and meet this iconic industry giant.

Gently
shaking his hand, I gave him the illustration of the comic character that HE
had created - and bestowed upon the world - as a gesture of my thanks and
admiration.

I
embarrassingly asked for an autograph, but his wife explained that he was under
strict orders to rest his hands and that if I gave my name and info, he would
mail one to me at a later date.

I happily
did so, saying that autograph or no, this was indeed an honor that I would
never forget

While
I never did receive the autograph, I took some small, humble hope that a piece
of my work was in possession of the man. Although, truthfully, even that
thought was fleeting, as I wondered why a giant such as he would even
bother to keep such an offering. Looking at the illustration with the eyes of a
more mature artist, I know that the illustration really isn’t very good. Sure,
it has good qualities, but overall, it’s just not all that good. Not good
enough for someone like Jack Kirby to keep it for long.

I thought that maybe he’d have tossed it in the back of a
closet, out of a kind sense of thankful obligation, sort of how one might keep
a received birthday card in a drawer and promptly forget about it for years.
Such was the fate that I imagined for my artwork; gently forgotten in the back
of a closet, until it would eventually be discarded.

Sadly, within 4 years of our meeting, the King was dead.

I couldn’t help but wonder over the years… Did he keep it?
Did he like it? Would it be thrown away with the assorted junk that accumulates
on the periphery of our lives?

A gift given. A memory made. And a mystery… in my mind.

Now please indulge me as I flash-forward to the present and
my viewing of the documentary.

While flipping through the selections on Netflix, I was in the mood for some comicbook goodness, and thought a documentary would be perfect.
The selection; "With Great Power - The Stan Lee Story" sounded familiar, but I knew I had never seen it. Surprising since it was released in 2010.

It would be less than a half-hour before a point in my life of 20 years prior would leap into my present-day living room.

When the scene in question came on screen, it felt like an
electric jolt went through my body. My body went rigid, my eyes opened wide, and
my mind… my mind reeled.

I immediately recognized my work. But more importantly than
anything, I immediately knew that Jack Kirby had kept my gift.

It was as if I were seeing a long lost friend, contacting me
from beyond the grave to answer a question, long thought unanswerable.

To see that the great artist not only kept the piece, but
had it close enough at hand for use as a prop in some photo-shoot truly brought
a shock to my mind, and a sense of peace of mind as well.

But then it also brought further questions:

WHEN was this photo taken?

WHY? For WHAT purpose?

I can only imagine that when asked to pose for some photo
opportunity (a magazine shoot perhaps), the photographer may have thought that a piece of Jack's own original black-pencil
artwork might not have "popped" (which is unthinkable), or simply lacked the visual impact that a full-color illustration would
instead provide. So the (ignorant) photographer just had Jack place an already-colored piece on the desk.

So, looking around his studio for a suitable image, of a
character that would be recognizable, not only for who it was, but that it was
one of his characters, my artwork simply fit the bill. Nevermind that it wasn’t
drawn by Kirby, as his hand is positioned to block the view of my signature (a ~PCK~ in a scroll with the year beneath it) which I would guess was the photographer's direction; "OK, Jack... just move your hand over a bit...there!" Authenticity may have taken a back-seat to necessity.

I knew that there would only be a few people who could
shine any light on these tiny mysteries (perhaps John Morrow from TwoMorrow's Press - publishers of the Jack Kirby Collector magazine, or someone from the Jack Kirby Museum project). However, I also knew that there was one other man who would not only have the best chance of knowing, but who might like to discuss this story with me, and so I contacted Jack Kirby’s long-time
assistant & friend, Mark Evanier (who you'll note was shown being interviewed at the start of the video clip I presented above).

Mr. Evanier told me that Jack Kirby kept EVERY drawing that
he was ever given by fans. He would keep them nearby in his studio, some hung up on the
walls, some down leaning against the walls of the room, and that he would
frequently interchange what was displayed on the walls and/or the floor stacks.
Everyone got time to shine, and he didn’t judge the works on artistic merit
more than the fact that he was thrilled that someone actually took the TIME and
ENERGY to CREATE something. He was humbled, and gladdened that he was able to
inspire anyone to do so, but it was the act of creation that he most admired
and by which he was delighted.

Most others sent him drawings OF him WITH his creations. My
gift, however, was one of an impromptu nature, given on a chance meeting, and
as such, was only of one of his creations.

THAT, it seems is what might have been the reason that my
artwork was placed upon his table for the photo. It would be unlikely for a
drawing OF Jack and his characters to be drawn BY Jack, wherein my piece
featuring only Captain America might have been a better fit for the
photographer’s direction. That and/or the fact that without any other figures
on the page, the one figure is full-sized and instantly recognizable to the
viewer, if not the actual style or the fact that it wasn’t a Kirby drawing.

Sure, when I first saw the documentary photo, my mind had let fly with fanciful notions that maybe Jack Kirby had liked my work... and maybe had it on his desk because he wanted to send me an overlay drawing showing me the correct way it should have been drawn (as I know that it wasn't a great piece)... Or maybe, he saw some spark of talent in the drawing and wanted to mentor me... or maybe someone, somewhere saw this one piece and maybe wanted to contact me for some project...

All fanciful dreams...

The truth is most likely what I and Mr. Evanier both concluded; Jack was a class act and kept all things that fans gave him. His hands wouldn't allow for him to draw anything for that photo session, and maybe the color drawing just fit the bill as a prop.

That I had always sort of wondered whether he kept it, whether he liked it, whether it was lost in time... all those questions were answered by one photograph, over 20 years later. For that I am grateful. For the fact that he used my drawing, my tiny gift, for the photo (even if by random chance)... I am humbly honored.

And so, I just want to say once again, for all the wonders
he has given the medium, all the enjoyment that he has given to me, and for the
gratitude that I feel knowing that he liked and had my work near to him… THANK
YOU, JACK KIRBY.

* UPDATE*

It is my pleasure to state that John Morrow of the aforementioned
TWOMORROWS PRESS, has expressed an interest in publishing this blog
entry in one of his publications! Most likely The JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR
magazine!

He has asked for high quality images for reproduction of all the images seen in this post, so it should look quite nice.

I'll be sure to make the official announcement when the article is published.

6
comments:

Anonymous
said...

Yeah, I kinda wondered what happened what happened to the Master of the Sanctum. I was worried that he mighta got dragged into the Dark Dimension by one of Dormammu's demons. Glad to see that's not the case!

That's cool! I wish I had a better/less lame way of saying it because it doesn't really express how sincerely cool I think it is. I haven't been to cons or anything in a long time, and your description just reminded me of those old times. I could really imagine that kind of progression and was happy to hear it end on a good note because those young career days can be so hard. And Cap is definitely a perfect choice. Definitely recognizable. I suppose I'm also bias because Cap has a healthy appreciation for Dr. Strange. ^_^ Anyway, that's my rambly woohoo for you.

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Disclaimer

This blog is, mainly, a showcase for my personal collection of comics, comic-related swag and other similarly-themed pop-culture ephemera.

99.999% of everything on this blog is owned by me, and as such, is mine to discuss as I see fit. Much of what is showcased herein is long out of production. I will do my best, however, not to malign any manufacturer or license-holder (Marvel Comics, predominantly), and would hope that any write-up that I present here is fair and might only aid in other like-minded collectors to seek out this stuff and thusly help the manufacturer's and retailer's (and/or Marvel's) bottom line.

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All characters represented on this blog are (c) copyright their respective owners (Doctor Strange, Man-Thing, Scarlet Witch, Black Knight and others are (c) Marvel Entertainment. / the rights to ROM : Spaceknight are currently owned by Hasbro - but if someone could work out a licensing deal on that front it wouldn't be too soon. / Other non-marvel characters are (c) by their companies - i.e. DC, Dark Horse, Image, etc... or creators).I stake NO claim to any of them. Just the desire to discuss their merits and histories freely.

Still, everything written herein is merely my personal opinion or memory (which might be faulty), should be taken as such, and is in no way meant to represent any of the manufacturers and/or license-holders or their thoughts or intents.